Nissan Maxima

Comments

Thanks to a neat page I found from Maxima.org, I was able to see what the codes are for my check engine light.

Two codes were kicked out which were "Knock sensor" and "Cylinder 5 misfire". I've reset the CEL, so I'll be curious which code is in there if/when the light comes back on.

I just changed plugs about 3 weeks ago, so I'm hoping the Cylinder Misfire code won't come back. Based on what I've read, the Knock Sensor is there for when you put in lower octane gas, which we never do. So I'm not sure what's going on with that.

If anyone has anything else to share about those codes, or a website that has some good info ... feel free to share.

I just got an update from my friends in CA. They said all Maximas damaged by the hailstorm will be sold as new (what the...????)under pretty much the same price as the undamaged ones, and they will only fix the ones heavily damaged. Will they even note that the car has been damaged in the title?My friend sent me a pic of one of the cars, it was ugly, there were dents all over the roof Does anyone else know about this case? Just wanna make sure if its true or not

One of the Nissan dealers in Orlando was advertising hail damaged vehicles at a discount last weekend. Not sure how much of a discount was offered. It is unlikely that Nissan will permit dealers to sell hail-damaged vehicles without disclosure.

I purchased a 99 Maxima GLE about a year ago with extended service from CarMax. About a month ago the CEL came on. I discussed the problem with my local service mechanic and he advised taking it back to CarMax after doing a diagnostic and finding the NOX sensor showing up on the readout. CarMax replaced the NOX sensor and after 1 week the CEL light came back on. This time CarMax after a diagnostic replaced the O2 sensor. This week the CEL came on again. Has anyone had this problem with any other Maximas? I spoke to CarMax and they don't have any ideas on an overall cause. They gave me another appointment for service.

There was a fierce hail storm in Orlando, Florida in the early nineties and many cars were damaged by golf ball size hail. The dealers had to disclose the hail damage, but they tried to sell hail damaged cars at maximum profit. I looked into these "bargains" but walked away because some cars looked like someboy hit them thousand times with a ball peen hammer all over the roof, the hood ,and the trunk lid. They were discounting these heavily damaged cars about $ 1500 which in my opinion is not worth it. Lightly damaged cars were discounted even less. It would cost more to fix the damage. And to live with a car like that would not be pleasant and would greatly affect the car's resale value. I know somebody who bought such a car and came to regret it.

I have no clue whats in Nissan's mind to sell these cars at that kind of price...the one my friend showed me was "moderately" damaged ( according to the dealer, to me it looks way more than moderate) and they still want $1000 below MSRP for it!!! They wont give any extra warranty for this, and i bet the resale will drop like crazy Seems like I'll have to say bb to my dream Onyx 3.5SE w/sensory package since the dealer said they cant locate one completely undamaged in east WA area

I have a 1996 Maxima GLE that i purchased w/125,000 miles on it. Ever since i've had it i've noticed that when the car is cold it shifts noticibly hard from first to second gear. I figured maybe it was because the trans. fluid just needed to be changed, so i did that myself but i am still experiencing the same problem. I've heard of having the transmission "flushed". Would that be something i should try, i hate to have it all flushed right after i've put new fluid in. I'm also getting a trouble code on an O2 sensor. Are these things hard to change? Thanks for your help!

Recently, I am considering to buy a 2003 maxiam, but it is hard to find any new maximas in my area. I looked around, only one dealer has a loaded 2003 maxima SE demo car which has 52xx miles on it. The dealer is willing to sell it to me at 20K which is more than 7k off MSRP (27xxx). Is it worthy to buy?

Been looking at 04 Maximas, have seen some of the hail damaged vehicles. The dealer discloses it on the window sticker in red print. They are fixed almost to perfection. I have seen the before and after and it is quite unbelievable. The buyer has to forego the corrosion part of the warranty. Has anyone noticed a ripple/wavy dash-board on the passenger side of the 04 Maxima? It seems more obvious on the darker dashes.

My impressions, and also my wifes, of the interior of the 04 Maxima are pretty much the same...CHEAP. The door panels have some super chintzy material that looks like came off a cheap casket. The car drives great, is fast, looks great on the outside...but Nissan must have saved a few beans with the crappy interior. We still might buy one. Maybe we can add some fake zebra fur to the door panels, yeah....cool...

I just looked at some new Infiniti G35s and I believe that they are a better deal than the new Maxima. The retail price for a well equipped G 35 with leather seats, sunroof, Bose stereo, etc, is about $ 33,500, which is about the same as the new Maxima with similar equipment.

Here are the Infiniti advantages:

1. rear wheel drive, which eliminates the torque steer

2. more compact car on the outside and better looking than the new Maxima (at least in my opinion), while the engine horsepower is about the same (260 HP for the G35)

3. G35 is available with a manual 6 speed transmission as well. I saw a 6 speed G35 with leather seats retailing for about $ 29K, which is cheaper than a similarly equipped Maxima (this car had no sunroof or some other gismos)

4. G35 is built in Japan vs 04 Maxima built in the US. This is a big factor, especially that this is the FIRST year of US production for the Maxima. History is full of examples of what happens the first year when a foreign made vehicle is produced in the US (e.g Mercedes ML, VW rabbit, Ford Escort, Mazda 626). There will be problems with the 04 Maxima. It is just a matter of time.

Interesting article from cbs marketwatch about cars being heavily discounted to clear out for new model year ones. Maxima seems to be doing well with 04 models...

"Some models are speeding out of dealers' lots, generally at sticker price or above. They include BMW's Mini Cooper, with a 9-day supply, and an early released 2004 model Nissan Maxima with a 10-day supply as of June 1, according to Automotive News."

2000 Maxima GLE Am looking for tires to replace the original Toyos. Any suggestions for a good all weather tire? Live in Minnesota so need to have tires that are reasonable with snow and ice.35000 miles on the Toyos. Thanks much!

I couldnt see any of them in this area either. I think Nissan havent sent the cars out yet cos of the hailstorm damage, which according to my friends damaged over 6000 cars instead of my previous info which stated 1800 cars

About every 6 months, I feel compelled to comment on the Nissan vs. Infiniti prestige and customer service comments, so if you've seen this before, please ignore.

I would rate the "prestige" value of Infiniti as being worth absolutely zilch over Nissan. They have no automotive history or "heritage" like BMW or Mercedes. IMO, rate Infiniti (or Nissan) cars on substance, but don't impute any intangible value to the brand name. There isn't any.

Relative to customer service, one would hope that Infiniti would be better than Nissan. However, that isn't always the case. In my area (DC), I'd much prefer going to VOB Nissan than Coleman or Rosenthol Infiniti. And those two are my only practical choices. There are several more Nissan dealerships to choose from. By the way, check out the price for say a 30,000 mile service between a Maxima and a mechanically identical I35.

O.K. - that's off my chest. And I do happen to agree with p100 that the G35 may be a better value than the new Maxima. But not because of Infiniti prestige or customer service. Because it appears to be a better (Japanese built) car for about the same price.

Better or more prestigious brands doesnt ensure quality service. Well its actually a different case here though, both dealers have really bad service. Both salesmen from both dealers dont seem to know what theyre doing. They couldnt even answer my questions about the car ( the Nissan salesman was pretty shock knowing that I know more about the car than he does)This is off the Nissan area, but it can be a good reference. Audis salesmen can answer all my questions, including the ones regarding performance and technical issues. They know more than BMW salesmen with their own BMW cars. It pretty much proves prestige and name doesnt always show quality service

Id still choose Max over G35 though. Both of them have crappy and cheap looking interior. But to me I like the Max styling better than G35. Im not sure about the performance though since I havent got a chance to test drive a G35

Infiniti basic warranty coverage is much better for those who drive a lot - you simply cannot get much better than 4 years, 60K miles on bumper to bumper warranty. Thids is in fact better than the Mercedes Benz warranty (4 years, 50 K miles) This is surely a lot better than 3 years, 36K miles that Nissan ofers. A warranty like this is a big decision factor for me.

As far as dealership service personnel competence, I would not generalize based on experience in one particular location. I have met some salesmen who were selling cheap cars who were very knowledgeable about their product. On the other hand, some exotic import vehicle salesmen were as ignorant as they could be.

I am seriously considering dumping my 2002 V6 Camry XLE due the horrible seats (short seat cushions=painful leg cramps for those of us with longer limbs). Even with 8 way power adjustment, there is just no support for my legs (trust me, after 15 minutes behind the wheel I feel it). I have always liked the Max and wanted to know if Nissan has the same short seat issues as Toyota. Considering a used 02/03 Maxima SE.

I suggest you take your legs, rear and rest of your torso over to the Nissan dealer to try some used Maxima seats yourself. I have a 1995 SE and can live with the seats. They were bettter than the comparable Camry or Accord seats back in 1995. But all Maxima seats are a far far cry from BMW's 5 series sports seats or Volvo's seats. Those are the top of the line given my body shape and support preferences. Now that I have back problems, seats will also be a high priority in my next sedan purchase. This is one area that most Japanese manufacturers seem to fall short of the European competition.

You are so right. The Japanese make a great car, but don't have any idea of making a comfortable seat (at least for my build). I tried the seat in 02 Max SE and definitely found it both comfortable and supportive. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for the 02 leases to expire. Meantime, I will keep driving with a rolled up towel under my legs (nice look with leather seats)...

If you like the Camry you'd be better off throwing in some aftermarket seats than taking the depreciation hit on selling it and buying another newer car that'll depreciate again. Do some research on aftermaket seats, you'll be surprised at what's out there. Then again a Max kicks a$$ over a Camry so maybe dump it anyway. Hey, it is a Maxima board ;-)

I did check into aftermarket seats, liked the Flofits, but was told that the only seats with power adjustments were Recaro's (not cheap). Call me crazy, but I thought Recaro's in a Camry looked pretty silly. By the time I get to my break even point, the 02 SE's should be coming off lease, so maybe I can still get lucky...

I was in my dealer to pick up a part for my 1995 Maxima and took the opportunity to give the 2004 a closer inspection. I have to say that either I'm old fashioned, or Nissan has gone schizo with interior design since the 1995 (or at least since 1999). My 1995 SE is no BMW 5-series or Audi A6, but the interior looks and lines are clean and the materials reasonably high quality.

The new Maxima's dash board is big enough to have Thanksgiving dinner on it and nothing "flows". Every piece and component of the interior: dash, console, instrument cluster, center stack, etc. looks like it was designed by a different committee and manufactured at a different factory. And whoever previously mentioned the interior door material had it right on. A little glow in the dark paint on the doors will turn them into velvet paintings that looked ugly in 1970's fraternity house movies. Back 9 years ago, the interior of my 1995 Maxima got compliments from friends and associates who drove considerably more expensive cars (mostly BMW's and Mercedes). The 2004 would likely invoke laughs. Or worse.

Thankfully, I was able to obtain and install a $45 blower "resistor" to restore my air conditioning fan to normal operation (it had worked on full speed, but no reduced speeds). I have pledged that with 142k miles on it, I am not going to let my 1995 Maxima nickel and dime me to death the way my old Acura did. However, after seeing the interiors of the new Maxima and Infiniti G35 sedan, I'm beginning to think my 1995 Maxima is worth a few more nickels and dimes. I will be concurrently praying that BMW's new 5-series isn't adversely influenced by the schizo movement.

P.S. There was a dealer advertisement in today's Washington Post offering new 2004 Maxima's starting at $23,799 (not "hail damaged" cars, those were even less). I believe that is a few thousand less than MSRP, so it doesn't appear that the general public is taking to the new Maxima with much enthusiasm either.